Senator Joe Manchin (D., W.Va.) told CNN’s Kasie Hunt Wednesday that he has not decided whether he will vote for President Joe Biden again in his 2024 re-election bid.
Manchin said he has “not gotten to that point yet,” because “there’s an awful lot to be sorted out.” The West Virginia senator then listed a number of issues on which he feels the current administration has not succeeded.
“We need to have our financial security, we need to secure our borders, we need to be tough on crime . . . and we need to have energy security,” Manchin said. “I have a lot of concerns with as far left as the Democratic Party and this administration have gone.”
Manchin has long been a thorn in the side of the Biden administration, causing problems for the president and his plan to reshape the United States economy with the Build Back Better Act — Manchin’s “Nay” on the bill was one of the key votes sinking the legislation. He also played a role in shrinking the poorly-named Inflation Reduction Act, bringing it, in his words, from “$3.5 trillion of spending down to $400 billion.” According to the Congressional Budget Office, the bill actually totaled $783 billion in new spending.
Manchin, who has not yet declared whether he will run for reelection to the Senate next year, is also one of the more likely lawmakers to launch a third-party bid in next year’s general presidential election, having appeared at numerous No Labels events this year. Maryland governor Larry Hogan is also a supporter of the effort, and both said they have not ruled out participating in a No Labels presidential ticket, if it happens.
“If enough Americans believe there is an option and the option is a threat to the extreme left and extreme right, it will be the greatest contribution to democracy, I believe,” Manchin said in an interview. When asked whether he would participate in a No Labels ticket, he said, “I don’t rule myself in and I don’t rule myself out.”
While Manchin’s comments may simply indicate his frustration with some aspects of the White House’s agenda, they are sure to feed into speculation that he may run for president.